The ongoing political turmoil in Thailand has apparently not prevented the kingdom”s richest people from getting richer.The biggest gainer in percentage terms is longtime Thai Indian resident Aloke Lohia.
His wealth soared by 252 percent when he took his integrated polyester company, Indorama Ventures, public earlier this year. This son of an Indian entrepreneur is a newly minted billionaire and jumped 13 notches to No. 6, with a net worth of 1.25 billion dollars.
The 40 wealthiest Thais are now worth 36.5 billion dollars, up 46 percent from last year, according to the latest Forbes Asia Thailand Rich List. Three quarters of the tycoons on the rich list added to their fortunes thanks to a booming stock market and a strengthening currency.
Also joining the country’s billionaire ranks for the first time this year are Pruksa Real Estate’s Thongma Vijitpongpun (No.8; 1.15 billion dollars) and Mitr Phol Sugar’s Isara Vongkusolkit (No. 10; 1.1 billion dollars). In all, there are 11 billionaires this year, six more than last year.